The
Marble Church with its impressive dome and balustrade
with 18 historical Statues from the Bible.

Frederiks
Kirke -”The Marble Church”

In
1749 the royal house of Oldenborg
celebrated the tercentenary of ruling the Country and
to mark this occasion King Frederik V
(1723-1766 - ruled Denmark and Norway 1746-1766) decided
to build a church in the new town in honour of God
and the absolute monarchy. Both the
church and town were named after him - Frederiks
Kirke and Frederiksstad. The
master planner and builder of Frederiksstad was the
King’s leading court architect Nicolai
Eigtved - who also was the architect of the
Marble Church.

The
Foundation Stone Laid in 1749
The foundation stone for the mighty domed church of
circular plan was laid on 30. October 1749
- and in the late spring of 1756 works
on the impressive church project recommenced. After
the foundations were laid - progress was slow chiefly
because financial resources were limited - but the King
had no desire to cut back in any way on materials or
enrichments for his prestigious plans and insisted to
build the walls in solid marble wit
blocks from eastern Norway - which also was the cause
for a dramatic rise in building cost.

Uncompleted
for 150 years

A
view down Frederiksgade in 1865 towards the ruin
of the Marble Church - which was unfinished for
150 years.

Great
outing spot and attraction

The
monumental ruin of the Marble Church in 1870 was
a great outing spot for the Copenhageners at that
time.

The
King and architect dies
The Royal building master Nicolai Eigtved dies in June
1754 in Copenhagen, who stops the building
of the Marble Church for some time. Furthermore on 14
January 1766 - King Frederik V dies
- and finally in 1770, King
Christian VII (1749-1808) - ruled Denmark and
Norway 1766-1808) decides to suspend his father’s
project “until further notice” due to lack
of financial founds and heavy budget cuts of the Frederiksstad
project.

The
Project Suspended
and C. F. Tietgen
For the next 100 years the works stopped.
The walls had reached a height of barely twenty metres
and the church was then nicknamed “The
Marble Church”. The site stood as a picturesque
ruin in the middle of Copenhagen and a popular motif
for many artists. Nevertheless - the banker and financier
C. F. Tietgen took over the ruin and
building site in 1874 in order to ensure
the completion of the royal project. Tietgen also had
in mind that the spirit and thoughts of national priest
and hymn writer N. S. F. Grundtvig (1783
1872) should symbolize the religious adoration in the
new parish church - as Grundtvig was a very central
and influential person in Danish religious life.The Rebuilding
The rebuilding of the Marble Church started slowly in
1874 and C. F. Tietgen chose Ferdinand
Meldahl as the leading architect of the reconstruction
- as he could fulfil Tietgen’s idea of building
“A Grundtvigian Cathedral”.

The
Altarpiece from 1893-94

The
altarpiece from 1893-94 is made of pine and decorated
with stucco work that is shaped as a triumphal
arch in Roman Baroque style around the Cross on
the altar.

The
Inner Dome

The
inner dome of the church is resting on 12 columns
and has a span of 31m. The cupola is split into
12 equal parts and decorated with angels and the
12 apostles placed in each section.

Finally
completedAfter the church complex was left incomplete
and stood as a ruin for nearly 150
years and after nearly 20 years of construction
due to new founds and other generous contributions -
the Marble Church was finally completed and inaugurated
on 19. August 1894.

The
present church
Today Frederiks Kirke (Frederik’s Church) with
its great dome rising high above the rooftops of Copenhagen
is one of the characteristic landmarks of the city’s
skyline. Around the church are 14 bronze statues
of prominent Danish Church Fathers - among them priest
and author N.F.S. Grundtvig (1783 1872),
philosopher and theologian Søren A. Kierkegaard
(1813-1855) and poet and novelist B.S.
Ingemann (1789-1862). On the balustrade around
the dome are sculptures in zinc of 18 historical figures
from the bible - comprising prophets and apostles as
well as the founder of Reformation Martin Luther
(1483-1546). The Evangelical Lutheran Church
of Denmark is a state church and derives its
name from Martin Luther - where 85% of the Danes are
members and practice their Christian life in almost
2,100 parishes.

14
bronze statues
of Danish Church Fathers

Around
the Marble Church are 14 bronze statues of many
prominent Danish Church Fathers - among them priest
and author N.F.S. Grundtvig - who is standing
at the entrance of the church.

“The
word of the Lord endured for ever”

The
impressive fronton (pediment) is supported by
4 Corinthian Columns and on their top is the inscription
- “The word of the Lord endured for ever”
- from the Danish Bible, 1. Peter 1:25).

Frederiks
Church and Frederiksstad
The position of the church is particularly linked with
Frederiksstaden (Frederik’s Town) - the new quarter
founded in the mid 1700s by King Frederik V.
Frederiks
Kirke here serves as the termination of an east-west
axis from the harbour and across Amalienborg
Square. Frederik's Church is best known as
“The Marble Church” - and
has the largest church dome in northern Europe with
a span of 31m and resting on 12
columns. The basic inspiration for the great
copper-clad dome of the Marble Church is the 42.5m
dome of St. Peter’s Cathedral in
Rome.

The
Royal Guard and the
Marble Church

The
Royal Guard exercising near the Marble Church
– where the church building is standing
as a grandiose monument at the end of Frederiksgade.
The changing of the Guards at Amalienborg Palace
takes place every day at noon.

A fantastic view
from
the top

From
the top of the Marble Church is a fantastic view
over Amalienborg Palace - Amalie Gardens - The
new Opera House - The Sound between Denmark and
Sweden and from the west side the rest of Copenhagen.

Entrance
and locationFree
Entrance to the church and admittance to the dome of
the church. Enjoy the breath-taking view
of Copenhagen - The Oresound between Denmark and Sweden
- Amalienborg Palace - Amalie Gardens and the new Opera
House.

Location
The
Marble Church is located near Amalienborg Palace - The
Amalie Gardens and the Yellow Palace.